The Optimist and The Given Up
by charleegirl
Summary: Mai and Katara fan ficFeaturing KataraXAang MaiX?


**Disclaimer – Avatar TLA Dislcaimed.**

Katara felt her body slam against the cold, grimy wall of the prison cell. As she swung around to pursue a chance of escaping, the cell door slammed shut and Azula's shrill laughs could be heard for a few moments after, until it slowly died away.

The water tribe teen stared at the grey metal door and only noticed she wasn't alone when she heard a fit of coughs. Katara's head darted around in shock to find none other than Mai, sitting in the far corner of the cell.

Mai; to Katara, had obviously not been there much longer than she had, but by the looks of the left sleeve of her robe she had been injured. Katara couldn't help but smirk a little on the inside.

After all the times Mai had accompanied Azula and Ty Lee in hunting Katara and the rest of the gang down, she had finally been paid back in some sense. Azula and Mai seemed like friends, Katara had thought, _perhaps she had stolen something and been caught._

"What you're not gonna throw something at me? That's not like you." Katara said with noticeable sarcasm in her voice.

"What you're not gonna get me wet?" Mai replied in a mimic tone.

"I would never have **had** to get you wet if you had not constantly followed us all those times" Katara snapped back.

"I was just following orders" Mai said almost apologetically in her raspy dry voice.

Katara snorted "Following orders? I'm sure following orders didn't land you here though did it?" Katara accused.

Mai paused for a moment and mumbled what sounded like "You wouldn't understand"

Katara decided to let it go.

Hours passed and the moonlight shone in through the small bared window edging the roof.

Mai's and Katara's equal rations of bread and sea water we slid through a shaft in the door, and the two silently ate. Once finished, roughly an hour later a guard came in to retrieve the tin mugs and tray that the meal had been served on.

Katara estimated it to be around 11 at night but wasn't at all that sure. She decided to resist sleep, she would never be safe as long as she was on this ship, and as long as Mai was in the same cell.

Mai didn't at any point suspect Katara of an attack and tried consistently to fall asleep, but she couldn't so decided to get up and have a bit of a walk around. There was only about 5 meters of room to walk both ways and with Katara occupying half it was even less.

She felt her arm throb with pain and she hated to admit it but, it was obviously going to get infected. She rolled up her slashed bloody sleeve to get a full view. It looked as bad as it felt, the blood had dried and crusted around the wound and the cut was still gaping and deep. She winced and groaned in pain a few times while trying to clean it with the water that was trickling from the ceiling.

Katara glanced over at the Fire Nation girl who was tending to her wound; she looked like she was in a great deal of pain. Katara being so companionate decided to put Mai out of her misery and got up and knelt beside her.

"What are you doing?" Mai asked.

"Give me your arm" Katara ordered.

Mai, without even considering anything, did as she was told and held out her hand.

Katara found the cleanest water she could which was the water Mai was using and bended the water around her hand like a glove and pressed it to the gash.  
Mai held her breath she couldn't pretend she wasn't in pain.

"Thank you" Mai said with a small bow of her head.

"So what happened?" Katara asked.

"Well Azula thought it would be a reasonable attribute to my punishment if she had me cut my self with my own weapons" Mai said without a sign of any particular emotion towards the matter.

"No, I meant how did you get in here? What happened?" Katara asked.

"I ummm, I'm considered a 'traitor' to the nation"

"Why?" Katara pursued still finishing healing Mai's arm.

Mai was hesitant to say. "I helped someone escape..."

"From here?"

Mai nodded. "Yeah"

"So why did you help him escape" Katara asked finally letting go of here arm. The cut was deep so there was still a near invisible line left.

Mai gapped in amazement at Katara's work, it was amazing. She remembered what Katara had asked and astounded she asked "How did you know it was a man that I helped? I didn't say it was a guy"

"You didn't say it wasn't" Katara pointed out. "Plus you wouldn't make many friends along the journey I'm sure, so I figured it must be a guy or maybe a friend from the fire nation who was banished or something. I went with guy." Katara concluded.

"Either one would be right" Mai said with a slight chuckle.

"Wow I have never heard you laugh, although I suppose you haven't heard me now have you?"

"There isn't anything funny about war or fighting" Mai said plainly and looked into Katara's eyes apologetically.

"Your right there isn't" Katara agreed. "Do you regret"

"Joining Azula and Tylee?" Mai broke in.

"Yeah"

"No"

"But your in here now, you have helped them kill. Don't you care?"

"I have accomplished what I wanted to do"

"Kill someone?" Katara asked appalled.

"Save someone" Mai filled in.

"One person for what 3? 16? Well however many people you have taken out. Its unjustified!" Katara was back to square one with Mai, she had thought Mai might be different a victim to Azula but it seemed she was there by choice. "Who did you even save?"

"No one, just don't worry. You just wouldn't understand, Ok" Mai said and turned away from Katara.

"Try me"

**A/N – Hey Please review if ya like it :D I'm gona put in Kataang if it gets reviews don't worry.**

**Boomerang Squad – charleegirl, Liselle129 and Jesus.Lives. ; )**


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